


La Diva Éternelle

by Dream_Wreaver



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Chapter 3 is nearly 2000 words of shameless fluff for my ships, Chapter 4 is where shiz starts getting real, F/M, I refuse to let the "she's just a friend meme die", Mystery, Professor Layton AU, Sort Of, Spoilers for Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva, Tags Subject to Change, Tags will be updated as plot progresses
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-07
Updated: 2017-11-15
Packaged: 2019-01-30 19:26:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 20,284
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12659874
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dream_Wreaver/pseuds/Dream_Wreaver
Summary: Marinette is known as Ladybug for her incredible luck when it comes to solving mysteries. Adrien is known as Chat Noir because while skilled, he is a bit unlucky. The two of them are partners when it comes to solving unsolvable cases. But what happens when their latest caper hits a little too close to home?





	1. A Night at the Theatre

**Author's Note:**

> So if you noticed from the title and tags, this story will follow the basic plot of the movie Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva. If you've seen that, you know basically what happens (I do plan to change some things for the sake of the plot and characters here). If you haven't well, I recommend you watch it but it isn't necessary to enjoy this. Which I hope all of you do. Anyways, on with the show!

In a shop in the middle of the downtown area of Paris’ 26th district lay a most unusual shop. From all outward appearances it seemed nothing more than a simple storefront, easily missed if one walked right by. This shop, however, had a very specific clientele, and it was not at all unordinary to see uniformed police officers coming and going at nearly any hour. Now, if a third-party was to see this they might suspect multiple busts, or corrupted cops. Those theories, while interesting, were in all actuality; wrong. No, this was the residence and work space of Ladybug and Chat Noir; the heroes of the Paris Police force.

Adrien Agreste has always longed for adventure. When Marinette Dupan-Cheng, otherwise known as Lady Luck aka the the Ace of the Parisian Police Force had literally run into him one day in pursuit of an intellectual rival he had never expected the turn his life would take. Not that he would become the Black Chat of the PPD, incredibly smart but also rather unfortunate. Three years of aiding the police in solving crimes and tracking down criminals often came with him being tripped, taken hostage, or other incidents which left bumps and bruises on his body. But the golden-haired young man wouldn’t have changed it for the world. Not that Adrien wasn’t without his own talents, having a personal affinity for the black cats that roamed the streets of Paris. Marinette had said on more than one occasion how useful his skill was to their cases. Speaking of which, how many cases had he now had a hand in solving? How many lives had been so positively impacted thanks to his actions? How many bad guys had he gotten to karate chop in the face? Okay, that last one was a bit more self-serving but it was still pretty cool to put all the years of training that came in the form of physical activities to good use.

How many death traps had they narrowly escaped? How many impromptu inventions and devices had been created with nothing more than ingenuity and the materials on hand. And how much had he grown as a person, as a man? How many friends had he made in just three years? At least five, all of them Marinette’s to begin with. Alya, the journalist and her documentary making beau Nino. Rose and Juleka, a couple of a professional photographers and a florist. Ivan and Mylene, as mis as they were matched. Kim, Alix, Max, Nathaniel, Kagami, Luka, Lila. He even had the eternal gratitude of Chloe Bourgeois and Sabrina Raincomprix, the mayor’s and head of the police department’s daughters. Well, okay, the last two weren’t actually friends of his partner, but they weren’t necessarily enemies either.

Marinette was a gem, who encouraged him to think outside the box and use all his deductive powers to solve puzzles that were left. And the fashion-designer cum pseudo detective was always kind. Truth be told, Adrien had a bit of a crush on her, but he was her partner and that relationship came first.

Though, since his observation skills had become much better, he’d noticed that sometimes when they were too close Marinette would turn pink and her tongue would tie itself up in knots. And other times he would purposely tell incredibly bad jokes, but she would laugh as though they were the funniest things she’d ever heard. It gave him hope, and yet she was so amazing he could never work the nerve up to ask her if they could be anything more.

But this story isn’t about that. Not entirely. This story is about one of the Lucky Lady and Black Chat’s most unusual cases. It all started when a familiar face dropped by their office. Marinette had been busy with her needle, embroidering -her fashion business thrived in the absence of mysteries to be solved- meanwhile Adrien was trying to work out a rather befuddling riddle Marinette had told him. The chime on the door sounded as footsteps echoed in the front of the shop. Marinette looked up from her work to see a woman who looked very much not unlike herself. The only distinctive differences being that she wore her hair in a bun instead of pigtails and that her sideswept bangs faded to red from her black hair. And the glasses, the lady wore glasses. Adrien glanced up too, recognizing the figure.

“Nathalie!” he exclaimed happily. Nathalie Sancoeur was his father’s assistant, and had been since Adrien had been small. When his mother had disappeared, she had taken on the maternal role and been as sweet and loving and supportive of him as Adrien might have expected his own mother to be. It had been with her help he’d managed to convince his father to allow him to move out.

A warm smile spread across the woman’s face as she saw him, “Adrien,” she nodded cordially but opened her arms for a hug. Adrien did so and the two squeezed each other tightly, “I remember when I used to tower over you when we hugged. I can’t believe how much you’ve grown.”

Adrien flushed, somewhat embarrassed by the motherly display but still happy to see her, “And you’ve stayed the same.” for the most part. Adrien could still remember how cold she had been; well, not cold but perhaps distant. Before his mother had vanished Nathalie had always kept everyone at arm’s length. But she’d always managed to show she cared, now it was just more open.

“Miss Sancoeur,” Marinette nodded as she set her work to the side, finished with the portion she’d been working on, “It’s a pleasure to see you again.”

“Always a pleasure,” Nathalie replied, “And I prefer if you call me Nathalie Miss Dupain-Cheng.”

“I insist on the same then,” Marinette smiled, “I adore my parents but I’m not certain if they really thought through that mouthful of a name before sticking me with it.”

“Of course Marinette,” Nathalie amended.

“You know each other?” Adrien asked.

“When I was about fifteen I interned with your father’s company for a summer,” Marinette explained, “Nathalie was the one I interviewed with.”

“You were the most qualified candidate, I never could understand why you didn’t come back after that.”

“I believe that was when I started to be recognized for my problem solving abilities and skills in cracking baffling cases,” Marinette replied, “That started to pick up rather quickly, and between helping the police and school and everything else I suppose those dreams fell to the wayside. I still involve myself with fashion as you can see, but it’s on the small scale for right now.”

“I understand perfectly,” Nathalie nodded.

“So, can we get you anything?” Adrien offered, “A pastry? A cup of tea?”

“Tea would be lovely, thank you,” Nathalie shrugged her coat off and folded it over her arms as she took a seat on one of the couches in the office. When it was served and she had taken a sip she began to talk again, “I wish I could say I came only on a social call,” she started, stirring her tea with a spoon, “But I’m afraid that’s not the case. I was wondering if I could enlist your assistance with something.”

“What would that be?” Adrien leaned forward in interest.

“Well, you see…” Nathalie bit her lip, “I suppose I knew I would have to explain when I came here, but it doesn’t make it any easier… Adrien you remember your mother Arianne yes?”

Arianne Agreste had fallen ill when Adrien was around ten. At thirteen, she had vanished without a trace. And at fifteen the law had proclaimed her legally dead, even with no body to bury. Adrien still missed her, still wanted to hold out hope that she was alive. But he understood that wishing for something didn’t make it come true. In the eight years since that day his father had become a changed man, and not necessarily in the good way. Where once music and laughter had filled the house now only silence deafeningly echoed. Gabriel had withdrawn from everyone, and he’d never touched an instrument again.

“I, yes I remember,” Adrien had managed to choke out.

Nathalie smiled sadly, “I know you miss her, your father misses her too. Your mother was so ill when she disappeared, I wouldn’t be surprised that she didn’t last long. I only wish that- well that her tomb wasn’t an empty monument.” shaking off the macabre line of thought Nathalie continued, “Well, I was out in the shopping district the other day when a young woman I didn’t recognize stopped me on the street. She claimed to be Arianne.”

The two gasped. Nathalie nodded, “That was what I thought as well. I tried to tell her she must have been mistaken, but she told me things… things only your mother would have known. She described the time she had given me this,” Nathalie fingered a brooch pinned over her heart delicately: a peacock -his mother’s favorite animal- made of brilliant blue and green gemstones, “Exactly as it had happened, when there was no one but the two of us there. I asked her what had happened. And she said, ‘I have been given the gift of eternal life’.”

Marinette and Adrien were floored.

“Something about the whole situation sounds so bizarre, but I swear it’s the truth,” Nathalie insisted, “However, eternal life… I’ve never heard of anything like it. And wouldn’t you think, such a breakthrough would have made it’s way throughout the news by now? I want to ask your help, something about this whole situation… It just seems wrong to me.”

“Of course we’ll help,” Marinette nodded decisively, “Where might we start our investigation?”

“I actually have that all planned out,” Nathalie dug in her purse and pulled out a set of tickets, “You see, I’ve been taking vocal lessons for the past couple of years. And when your father heard me sing he decided it was time…”

“Time for what?” Adrien asked.

“For the longest time, your father was obsessed with the story of Miracula, the forgotten kingdom. Do you remember?”

“Of course,” Adrien recalled. The story of Miracula was one he had been told almost every night as a child.

“I recall it as well. Legend told of an ancient island who devoted their whole lives to beings they called Kwami, ruling over them was a mythical queen who was the only one that could call on them. It also persisted that these people had found the secret formula which would grant eternal life. Many people have wanted to find Miracula, wanted to find it even if all that remained was nothing more than ruins. It would provide so much for historians. Even my mentor has dedicated years to its discovery. The only problem was that all he ever found was a partial seal, washed up on the shores of Paris that Master Fu only happened to discover while walking along the shore early in the morning.” Master Fu had been a mentor of Marinette’s, someone who had watched over her while her parents were in the bakery and had told her many a wondrous tale from his world travels as a folklorist and historian.

“Yes,” Nathalie concurred, “Well, fashion was not your father’s only talent as you might remember. He is also an exceptionally gifted composer and musician. Before your mother- before she disappeared your father and her were working on an opera about Miracula, with her slotted to sing the lead. When he heard my voice he decided it was time to finish the piece. With Master Fu’s help he has done so and intends to premiere the opera in a few days’ time.”

“With you in the lead?” Marinette clarified.

“Yes,” Nathalie shifted in her seat, “I fear there may be something much more sinister at work, but I have been told only to focus on my upcoming performance. Please,” she beseeched them, “Figure out what’s going on and stop it.”

MLB

“So,” Marinette said as they readied themselves for the performance that was to occur in just a few hours, “Shall we go over the story of Miracula once more?”

“Naturally,” Adrien replied, being able to tell the tale without thinking it was so ingrained in him, “Miracula was once a powerful kingdom, aided by seven Kawmi, quantic gods each with a different power. One could turn the common folk into stalwart soldiers. One could cloak the island from view, one could raise impenetrable defenses, one gifted them luck, the other wrought destruction upon their enemies. The last two, their powers have been lost to the annals of history.

“But Miracula was a powerful kingdom nonetheless, ruled by a beautiful queen who loved music above all else. And she could call on the gods by singing a special song known only to her. One day, she fell ill, so ill she could not call on the gods to save her, and neither could the subjects. The healers hurried to find a remedy, an elixir that would grant their queen eternal life. But just as they had finished it the queen left this world. The anger at the loss of their beloved queen called to the Kawmi, but they were then trapped in the sigils their queen had once worn, several pieces of jewelry which were then scattered to the ends of the world. The people of Miracula then drank the elixir and went to sleep, awaiting the return of their beloved queen. For they knew, only the true queen would one day return with the song and the sigils, and she would revive their world.”

“Precisely,” Marinette said as she put the final touches on her makeup and checked that both her earrings were still in. Stepping out to take a look at her partner she asked him, “Are you ready?”

Adrien adjusted his bowtie and made certain the ring his mother had left behind for him was securely on his finger. He answered, “Absolutely my lady.”

They arrived at a nice little theatre down in a little town by the english channel by the name of La Paon. Why those in charge had decided to premire such an opera here instead of in Paris was up for debate. But the theatre was big enough to accommodate all the guests that arrived dressed to the nines. Marinette expected the creme dela creme of the upper class, she had gathered how expensive the tickets were just by looking at the material they were made of. And yet, there were still some unexpected attendees.

“Alya!” Marinette exclaimed as she saw her red-headed friend.

“Marinette!” the journalist replied as she enveloped her friend in a hug, “What are you doing here?”

“We heard about the opera and decided it would be nice to come. After all, Adrien’s dad is the composer.”

“That’s right,” Alya tapped herself off the head as though she had forgotten that fact. She embraced her friend’s partner, “It’s good to see you again.”

“Good to see you too,” Adrien returned the hug and patted her on the back, “Are you here by yourself?”

“No, Nino’s here,” Alya drew out a curved orange pendant on a chain and bit at the loop holding the two together, a habit of hers for nervousness or excitement, “I’m so hyped for this. The opera’s supposed to cover Miracula! They say it’s based on new historical evidence!”

“New evidence?” Marinette raised a brow, “There’s been no news like that circulating recently.”

“Nah,” Nino chimed in as he joined the group, raising a hand in greeting to Adrien and showing off the underside of a jade bracelet, “They say it’s all super hush hush, like a privateer type thing.”

“Privateers were pirate hunters,” Alya corrected him, “He’s thinking someone paid some Lara Croft type to investigate a potential site for where Miracula might have been and that’s where the new info came from.”

“Are you here covering the story?” Adrien asked.

“No,” Alya shook her head, “Nino and I both got tickets in the mail. We were invited, tonight is a night for fun!”

“You think there’s anyone else we might know here?” Marinette asked.

“Only one for certain,” Alya replied, “Chloe’s been blowing up her social media about receiving a prime invite to this thing for weeks.”

“Why do you follow her again?”

“Because,” Alya said, “It’s always good to have receipts when calling her out. You know that as well as I do. Hey, since we’re all here, let’s sit together.”

“Great idea babe,” Nino planted a kiss on Alya’s cheek.

Marinette and Adrien looked at each other and shrugged, “Why not?”

As they passed through the lobby they noticed a good amount of motifs of the bird for which the theatre took its namesake. Depictions of it in art, taxidermied versions, even a skeletal reconstruction. Scattered amongst these were all sorts of priceless antiques. When they arrived in the actual auditorium they noticed Chloe Bourgeois in a roped off section of seats, all by herself. They all knew how aggravating she could be with so little words, but the talk did admit she was looking fine in her yellow and black evening gown, complimented by the bee-shaped comb securing her updo in place. It was as they sat that Adrien noticed his father speaking rather animatedly with a younger looking woman, perhaps only a few years older than he himself.

“Excuse me,” Adrien bowed out and approached his father, seated at a large singular instrument. The woman was leaning closer, and Adrien thought he saw a smile on his father’s face. The kind of smile he hadn’t seen since his mother disappeared.

“Father?” Adrien interrupted.

Instantly Gabriel’s attention shifted, “Adrien,” he looked shocked to say the least, “What are you doing here?”

“Nathalie,” Adrien began, wanting to tell his father the truth but not wanting to jeopardize the case. Gabriel Agreste, until proven otherwise, was still a suspect, “Nathalie told us about this performance and wanted us to come and support her.”

The excuse was taken without question, “Yes of course,” his father murmured, “She’s been working so very hard for this. It’s only natural she’d want to share the moment with you.”

“Pillon?” the lady cut in, “I’m waiting,”

“Of course Paon,” Gabriel nodded at her, “Adrien, this is Arienne.”

“Arienne?” Adrien looked to the woman. Already he was wary, since Paon and Pillon were pet names his parents had used for each other, back when things were alright. But realizing how rude he must seem he put on his most winning smile and held out his hand, “A pleasure Arienne,”

“Likewise,” Arienne smiled at him, “I can’t wait to see more of you, I hope we can be like a family someday.”

Adrien’s smile grew instantly strained, “Family, yes.”

Arienne giggled and snuggled closer to his father, who wrapped an arm around her shoulder, “Why don’t you take your seat Paon, the opera will soon begin, and I will need to play.”

“Of course Pillon,” Arienne kissed him on his cheek and sauntered away.

Adrien raised an unimpressed brow at his sire, “Really?”

“What?” if there was one other thing Gabriel Agreste had mastered, it was the art of looking totally innocent and nonchalant when the blood was all over him.

“I still remember how you and mom use to call each other those exact same names.”

“Adrien what do you want from me?” he asked, “It’s been eight years, is it so wrong of me to want to move on with my life? This opera is my final gift to your mother, written, dedicated, and performed in her honor. I should like to try and live out the rest of my days in happiness, wherever I can find it. Is it so wrong of me to have found that happiness in Arienne?”

“I- no,” Adrien shook his head, “I want you to be happy Father.” though it didn’t escape his notice that a photo of Arianne was on the machine close to his father’s gaze.

“Thank you son, now please, take your seat. The opera will soon begin.”

“Will I see you after the show?”

“Yes,” Gabriel nodded, “I do think you will.”

“Was that as awkward as it looked?” Marinette asked when Adrien returned to his seat.

“Worse,” Adrien stifled a groan, “My father’s dating a woman nearly young enough to be his daughter. You know, assuming he was a teen father.”

Marinette laughed, “I’m surprised you didn’t ask about the concertona.”

“Concertona?”

“That machine your father’s sitting before. It’s a brand new invention that allows one person to produce the same type of music as a fully fledged orchestra.”

“That’s impressive,” they would have spoken more, but the lights began to flicker, signaling that the show would soon begin. The house lights dimmed, and the curtain rose.

MLB

The opera of Miracula followed the same premise of the story Adrien had relayed earlier in the evening, but accompanied by beautiful music and singing. And a spectacle. Nathalie had done an incredible job, her voice so powerful and raw. Not to say Gabriel’s playing was a slouch, because it complimented Nathalie’s voice perfectly, helping to set the mood and explode the emotions Nathalie’s singing was supposed to evoke. It was genuinely sad to see Nathalie even playing dead. When it was over, Marinette, Adrien, Alya and Nino stood up and clapped, so impressed by the production. It seemed, however, that they were the only ones. The other audience members sat silent with baited breath, as though waiting for something else to happen; though another few joined in half-heartedly. The quartet looked around and sat down awkwardly, still confused by the lack of response.

The house lights dimmed again. Standing in a spotlight at center stage was a masked man who looked like an MC.

“Ladies and Gentleman,” he greeted, “Welcome to my theatre La Paon. You are truly fortunate, for tonight you will witness a miracle!”

At this the audience clapped with more enthusiasm than they had yet. The MC continued,

“As promised when you purchased your tickets; tonight, one person from the audience gathered here will receive,” he paused for effect, “the gift of eternal life.”

Worried glances passed between the friends at this.

Again the MC elaborated, “However, there is one condition.”

“What condition?” someone from farther back in the seats called out.

“All of you gathered here are going to play a little game,” the MC replied, “The rules are simple: the prize for the lucky winner- eternal life. But those of you who lose will lose your lives!”

A gasp of shock went through the audience at that.

“You must admit,” the man cajoled, “this is a small risk for those desiring such a large prize.”

Another audience member cried out, “You can’t be serious, we aren’t going to put up with this!”

Yet a third parried, “Speak for yourself. I’ll play your game, I’ll play whatever you want!”

A wave of unrest and fear rippled throughout the crowd. Powerful and potent people began to cower while others stood and tried to run. Pushing, shoving, uncaring of the plight of anyone else in their own need for self-preservation. The MC watched this with an impassive expression, though his amusement was palpable. But just as the first few reached the auditorium doors they were blocked off by minions dressed in a very similar manner to their host. And then, the floor dropped out from under them. The multitudinous cries of alarm coalesced into one frightful groan as people dropped and hung on for dear life to the seats. It was only those in the rows and chairs who remained safe. And just as instantly as it had opened the floors closed, leaving not even a seam to show there was a trapdoor there.

The MC laughed, “Anyone else want to leave the game now?” the hushed murmurs of agreement to stay echoed throughout the hall. Pleased, the MC added, “Very well then, let’s play.”


	2. The First Two Puzzles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The game begins, but how difficult will it be?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, this story loosely follows Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva. If you are familiar with that movie please refrain from spoiling anything about the plot in the comments. I'm working hard to make this different, but no one will want to read it if they know the ending already.
> 
> Okay, let's begin

There came a great shuddering and trembling that not only reverberated through the building, but seemed to emanate from it too. Violently jerking, everyone lurched sideways and it felt like the theatre was now on the move. Gabriel sat there silently as this all unfolded, fingers resting on the keys.

“Marinette,” Adrien said as he tried to remain upright in the commotion, “What’s going on?”

Marinette, fingers clenched tightly to the top of a seat back, vibrated with the motions of the building. Before she could answer the theatre felt like it crested something and then tilted back downward. Suddenly its location all made sense.

“The theatre!” Marinette called over the raucous noise of people crying out, “It’s actually a huge ship.”

“Correct you are my dear,” the MC mock clapped, “A fun little way of… upping the stakes, wouldn’t you say?”

“No!” Alya screamed as the boat hit another swell, “You can’t do this to us, it’s kidnapping!”

“How so?” the MC parried, “If anyone actually bothered to look at their tickets it was all clearly stated.”

Of course, no one could refute that, since no one had their tickets any longer, and no one had  thought either to read the fine print or take pictures for later examination.

“And now,” said the MC, “Let our little game commence!” he started bloating and expanding until he was too big to even be human any longer. He exploded in a shower of confetti and glitter, proving to the quite literal captive audience that he was nothing more than a puppet.

The roof over the auditorium began to open, showcasing the moonless night sky. The sound of the concertona thundered over the low buzz of conversation. Those who remained instantly turned on Gabriel, who was sitting with Arienne on the bench in front of the instrument.

“What are you doing?” they asked angrily, causing him to stop playing, “Someone is threatening our lives and all you can do is play music?”

“I bet he’s the one behind this whole thing!” another cried out, “We should teach him what it means to mess with us.”

“Now, now,” Marinette broke up the mob, “Let’s not lose our heads here. We need to think about this rationally.”

“You would say something like that Marinette Dupain-Cheng,” Chloe sneered.

“Uh-uh,” Alya stepped in, “Don’t even think about it.”

“Enough!” Adrien silenced them all, “Father, if you would please explain yourself.”

“I wrote an opera and wanted to have it performed. That is all,” Gabriel said as he stood in his own defense. “All other details, including the location of where my opera was to be performed were handled by my associate. If anyone is behind this game it is him. I must admit I did find it odd that despite all the work he put into production he would miss opening night. But he is a busy man so I spared no more thought to it than I would have anyone else of our status being called away suddenly.”

“And who would your associate be?” the mob asked.

“He goes by the name of Hawkins M. Roth,” Gabriel replied, “Though whether or not that is his real name I cannot say for certain.”

At that moment a voice called to Adrien and Marinette. It was Nathalie, changed out of her costume and her hair let down into the side draped ponytail style she’d taken up some years ago.

“I’m so glad you’re alright,” her hands were clasped together in a mixture of worry and shame, “I’m so sorry for all of this. I knew something odd was going on, I could feel it. But I never expected anything like this-”

“It’s alright Nath,” Adrien replied, “We’re here and for the moment we’re safe.”

“For now,” Nino lamented, “Not to mention, we’re stuck here on a boat with no choice but to play some weirdo’s twisted game, and we’re likely to lose our lives in the process.”

As if speaking of him conjured his presence the voice voice of the puppeted MC still echoed through the auditorium, “With our course safely set it is time to begin our fun. The first puzzle on our path to eternal life is this: look around you, the boat is filled with objects that have so much to say. But it is only with one of them that the voice of one can speak with the power of many. I’m sure it sounds simple, doesn’t it? However, there is a catch.”

From a trapdoor on the floor an odd looking instrument rose. It was covered with punched out sheet music. Sound started to ushed forth as the paper started to descend.

“You have until the music stops to locate the answer. When you have made your decision, stand by the object.”

Immediately people scurried out of the auditorium checking for an object onboard the ship that would fit that description. Meanwhile Marinette, Alya, Adrien, and Nino mulled the riddle over. In the midst of this, Gabriel simply continued to sit with an arm around Arienne, neither of them seemed too worried about the chaos around them.

“One with the power of many,” Alya nibbled at the ring atop her pendant, “Now what could that mean?”

“Hm…” Marinette bit a finger in thought, “This ship is full of antiques, any one of them give voice to the people of the past.”

“Should we look?” Nino asked.

“I’ll come with you guys,” Nathalie added.

The group made to leave when Marinette pulled on Adrien’s arm, “Wait!” she hissed, “Stop them.”

The command issued down the chain, each of them being as quiet as possible. More people continued to leave the theatre to look for the answer to the riddle. There were those who remained, but they looked utterly complacent or confused.

The quintet huddled together, “What are you thinking Mari?” Nino asked.

“Nino, you’re a dj,” Marinette began, “How would you get your message across to a crowd of screaming fans?”

“With a mic or amplifier,” Nino replied, “That’s like, music performance 101. Wait, are you saying the answer is a mic?”

“Not exactly,” Marinette continued, “What language transcends all culture, even the isolated ones? How do you give the voice of one the power of many?”

“Music,” Nino answered without hesitation, “Music is one of the universal language. And if a song is remembered-” he stopped a moment as realization dawned, “It can give a single voice the power of many!”

“Precisely,” Marinette affirmed, “there are many antiques on this ship, but only one that fits this description.”

Adrien glanced over to his father and joined in with, “The concertona!”

It was at that moment the music box ended its song. Time was up, now they just had to hope they were right. The voice of their mysterious puzzle master returned over the intercom.

“Your time is up,” he informed them, “And the one item on board this ship that can give the voice of one the power of many is the concertona. To those of you here in the theatre, congratulations are in order. You may continue to the next round. As for those who were wrong-”

Outcries of terror were heard from behind the auditorium’s doors, cutting off as abruptly as they had begun. Likely more trapdoors allowing the ship to gobble up the hapless masses. There had to be a way to free them, but right now there were no forthcoming ideas. The puppetmaster held the strings, and he was nowhere to be seen. The music box flipped over, revealing the sheet music on the other side. Another puzzle was in the works.

“Next puzzle,” the voice commanded, “I’m sure you have noticed the symbol the theatre has taken for itself. A bird, a symbol of freedom. Find the largest bird and go where you can see it.”

The sheet music started to descend and the melody started playing again.

“The largest bird,” Nathalie touched her peacock brooch thoughtfully.

“Well that’s going to be impossible,” Nino lamented, “Almost every antique or display had some bird in it. There’s not enough time to compare the sizes of them all.”

The others concurred with thoughtful murmurs.

Adrien thought, and thought and thought. He tried to mentally compare the sizes of all the birds he had seen on his way into the theatre. And then it hit him, the theatre’s name, which meant the name of the boat, was La Paon. the peacock, which meant-

“Wait!” Alya cried out in excitement, “We’re onboard the La Paon!”

“Well, well, well,” Chloe mocked, “Looks like all that investigative journalism hasn’t been wasted on you after all. And as I recall there’s a large peacock statue right outside the entrance.”

In a frenzied crowd the others fled the theatre. The quintet watched them go, even as Alya tugged at Nino to get him moving.

“Wait,” Nathalie stopped them, “I know of another way. We don’t want to get trampled underfoot. Follow me”

MLB

They walked along the back hallways of the theatre, the places normal goers wouldn’t be able to access.

“Why are we going this way?” Alya asked, “It feels like it’s taking longer than if we had followed the crowd.”

“Actually, I didn’t want to tell you this with everyone else around, but coming here for stage rehearsals beforehand allowed me to notice something I think might be useful,” Nathalie replied as she led them along. The group came to the back deck, where lifeboats stood in their hung positions. Gabriel was lowering one while Chloe and Arienne watched. They were huge, able to fit eight people comfortably, so long as they could get it in the water.

“That makes sense,” Marinette said as Adrien immediately rushed to help his father out.

“What does?” Nino tilted his head, “I don’t see how- wait, lifeboats, we can get to shore with them.”

“I’m afraid we’re already too far out to sea,” Alya parried, “And wait! Chloe was the one who said the statue, but here she is.”

“As if I would give the answer away,” Chloe sneered with a toss of her hair, “Speaking of which, don’t just yell out hints like that. Do you want there to be more competition?”

It figured that Chloe would want to win. Eternal life meant eternal beauty for her. Which meant eternal attention. Thankfully she would outlive them if that was the case, but there was still around fifty to sixty years of insufferability just waiting in that case.

“I don’t get it,” Alya shook her head.

“It’ll make sense once we’re on the boats,” Marinette said, another group had figured out the trick and were now dropping the other lifeboat, “But honestly, how much of a game would this be if our host kept gathering us together? The riddles have to get more challenging or else there won’t be a winner.”

Arienne stood further off from the crowd, skulking as the others lowered the boats. Nathalie approached her, the woman who had claimed to be Arianne.

“Arianne,” she began tentatively, “Where did you disappear to?”

“Why?” Arienne questioned, “Why did you bring them?”

“I don’t, understand,”

“Why did you bring Adrien into this? And that girl too?” Arienne railed at her, “They mustn’t win this game!”

“But-”

“Are you Arianne’s friend or not?” Arienne hissed. Nathalie didn’t know how to answer, but it appeared the other woman didn’t want one, “Then let us have our wish!”

That caught her the most off guard, “Our wish?”

MLB

Adrien and Nino manned the oars while everyone they knew sat silent in the boat. Nathalie was seated towards the stern near Arienne and Gabriel. The former of which looked at her sourly but said nothing. When they had rowed out far enough the answer to the riddle became clear. The architecture of the theatre, including some rather odd decorative designs which at the time had seemed more fashion than function now had a purpose. From their distance, the entire ship looked like a giant bird.

Still, conversation unrelated to the game buzzed in the air. Namely the question of how Alya and Nino -who even with their combined current incomes never would have been able to afford one ticket, nevermind two- had gotten theirs.

“I would actually be the one responsible for that,” Gabriel answered, much to the surprise of the group. It was no secret that though Adrien’s friends had met his father before, the latter hadn’t seemed to care very much for any of them -except perhaps Marinette.

“You see, I noticed that, though you have not reached the peak of it yet, all of you are extremely gifted as your crafts, and in a way you reminded me of my wife Arianne. She would have loved meeting you all, and what better way to honor her memory than by having you attend my final gift to her?”

“That was… really cool of you sir,” Nino said, “I mean uh- nice! It was really nice of you.”

Gabriel’s impassively stern face was the only thing he had for a moment. But then there was a terse nod. But at this point the music had apparently stopped, because their puzzle master's voice echoed out over the waves.

“Ladies and gentlemen, your time is up. To those of you out in the lifeboats, congratulations. You will continue on in the next phase of our journey. As for the rest of you…”

The probably screams could not be heard from this distance. But it did not mean they were not there. And then, they watched as the entire vessel lit up like a christmas tree. For one brief moment, it was more beautiful than anything. And then the smoke started. All over the boat explosions started erupting. It was like a Bastille day fireworks celebration, only a lot more deadly. Or was it? Dark shapes shot out under the water, and for a moment the remaining players thought that they were going to be shot at with torpedos. But such was not the case. Whatever had happened, the mysterious objects sped off into the night in another direction, leaving only the smoldering destruction in their wake. The groups watched in awe as the once beautiful theatre was consumed by an inky plume, utterly obscuring it from sight as it likely sank beneath the waves. So many valuable pieces of history, of art, of culture were to be lost to the endless abyss that was the bottom of the sea. The lifeboats transformed too, dropping the oars and gaining motors. They revved and sped up, leaving the smoking wreckage behind.

The destination was unknown to the smaller vessels’ occupants. All they knew for certain was that there was still too much of a challenge left. In a theatre of over a hundred people, only about sixteen were left. Below the seats they found blankets to ward off the night’s chill as they sped on into the unknown. One by one the players dropped off, snuggled up and dreamlessly sleeping. Nathalie was in that odd semi-conscious state, neither fully awake nor fully asleep. And she heard a voice that called out like a siren from beneath the waves. And yet the melody sounded wrong. As though the singer was trying to remember the notes, but not quite hitting them. Slowly, lethargically Nathalie’s fingers reached to her heart, brushing the cold stones of the peacock brooch and clutching tight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next comes the interesting bits. Not sure how long this story will be though. Likely no longer than 10 chapters at the absolute max. But comment below and let me know what you think. Until next time


	3. Idyllic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We find out where the boats are headed, will they bring fortune or ruination upon our players?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 2 chapters in 1 day? Don't get used to it. But the story is at about the halfway point, so let's keep going.

When next they all woke it was to the sandy shore of what appeared to be a deserted island. Tired from the events of the prior night everyone was groggily stumbling about the beach, dressy heels on the women not made for this sort of environment. Marinette and Alya lucked out, deciding that cocktail dresses would be appropriate enough. Chloe, meanwhile was constantly tripping over the hem of her exceedingly long opera dress. And she wasn’t subtle about her discontent. Eventually Marinette got sick of it.

“Adrien, would you mind handing me the emergency kit I stowed in your jacket?”

“Of course not,” he allowed her such things because it was far easier to have an extra sewing kit in his own clothes -far more suited to carrying and concealing- than most of her own pre-made outfits.

“What are you doing with those scissors?” Chloe barked even as she backed up.

“It’s either the dress or you Chloe,” Marinette warned her, “I can make the dress cocktail length or I can sew your mouth shut, because at this point none of us are in the mood.”

“Don’t you dare touch my dress!” Chloe shot, “It’s a designer-”

“I will personally see to it you get one as compensation,” Gabriel interrupted, “So long as you shut your mouth and let Miss Dupain-Cheng take care of that ridiculously overlong hem and train of yours.”

Chloe fumed, but the promise of a Gabriel dress was too good to pass up. Marinette knelt at Chloe’s waist after a cursory walk around to see what she was working with. A few deft cuts and stitches later and Marinette had reconfigured the dress to a shorter, more functional length. Merely done with some magic involving long slits, drapery, and bows at the waistline. Chloe had to admit -only to herself though- that she still looked good. But she refused to thank Marinette no matter what.

Thankfully, no one worried about that as someone had cried out. Emblazoned on a rock was a seal with seven silhouettes of odd looking creatures. Each of them aligned, it would seem, in some sort of pattern, with some sort of motif around them, and yet none of it made any sense.

“What in the world is that?” Chloe asked.

“That’s the seal of Miracula,” Marinette breathed, “Incredible!”

“What’s that?” Nino asked.

“I’ve come across some articles about Miracula,” Alya stepped in, “Legends told of an ancient island, with the power of seven gods on their side. These gods could only be called into our realm by a special song known only by the island’s queen. That’s what your opera was about wasn’t it Mr. Agreste?”

“Indeed,” Gabriel affirmed, “My wife was fascinated by the story of Miracula. Of the queen whose love of music was so great, so pure and powerful it could summon forth gods from another realm. But, as I am sure you remember, the story goes that after the queen died of an illness, only just missing the gift of eternal life, the people found another way to conjure the gods before them. Knowing they were all powerful and omnipotent they raged against the deities for not saving the people’s beloved queen. Their most powerful sorcerers banded together to seal the gods, known as Kwami, into separate pieces of the queen’s jewelry. Those pieces are known in legend as the Queen’s Sigils. The binding process was done for two reasons, one was to avenge the death of their queen. The other was so that the gods could never leave the mortal realm, and could be called on to help when needed. Unfortunately, the Kwami still had a mind of their own, and it was determined that they would never appear without the song to call them forth. And so, the Queen’s Sigils were then lost to time.”

“But if this is where Miracula is, why does it seem so deserted?” Nino asked.

“Likely the idea of an elixir of eternal life was added into the legends later,” Adrien reasoned, “After all, eternal life is an impossible thing to achieve.” Gabriel’s hold on Arienne tightened. “Likely what they had put together was some more modern for the time form of medicine.”

“I see,” Nino nodded, “So what’s the use of this game if there’s no eternal life?”

“Because at this point we’re being forced to play, remember?” Chloe sneered.

“Careful Chloe,” Marinette teased, “If you keep making faces like that it’ll stick.”

“Ironically enough, Father forgot the most important part of the legend,” Adrien continued, “The seal of Miracula was designed by the queen, and allegedly it contained the key to the calling of the Kwami. Or one of them at the very least. And besides, if nothing else there are a good deal of people who would want to know this location for archeological purposes. This place should be a treasure trove of culture and history.”

“The seal contains one of the keys…” Alya mused, “And the queen loved music… and the queen designed the seal... aha!” she slapped a fist into her open palm, catching the attention of the others who had decided to explore the island a bit more.

“Alya what is it?” Marinette asked.

Remembering what Chloe had said about unnecessary hints to the other players Alya waved it off, “It’s nothing.”

But then there was a hand on her shoulder, Nathalie.

“What did you figure out?” she whispered.

“It’s really nothing,” Alya lied.

“It’s not nothing, I can tell from the look in your eyes. Look, I don’t want eternal life, I just want whatever this is to stop. And at the moment, even the slightest bit of information helps. Just tell me, please.”

“Alright,” Alya glanced around to make sure no one would be listening in, “The seal was designed by the queen who loved music, right? And the seal is supposed to hold at least one of the keys to calling on the gods. And each little figure on the seal has some sort of pattern with dots around it. I was thinking, that if you added a scale set to it, the seal could become sheet music.”

Nathalie’s eyes widened, “That’s actually a very solid theory. But I think it might be best to keep it to us for right now. Don’t you think?”

Alya nodded. They joined the rest of the group, who were converging on an exquisitely laid out banquet table. The food looked divine and tantalizing. And many of the competitors were licking their lips at the sight. The last time any of them had eaten had been before the opera, and there really was no way of telling what time it was now. All their devices had died. And no one was wearing a watch.

“This looks so good,” was the general consensus. But Marinette looked pensive.

“There’s a note,” Nino picked up the scrap of card lying on a plate and read from it, “A reward to those still left in the game. You’ll need your strength to press on.”

“A reward, finally,” Chloe sat down and began piling food onto her plate.

“A reward, or another round of the game?” Adrien questioned. Instantly everyone stopped mid-reach. But Arienne stepped forth and took a morsel of the food, placing it in her mouth and chewing.

“It tastes just fine,” she declared.

MLB

And with that everyone reached for food. A small relaxing break was taken by the seaside, with people frolicking and lounging and enjoying good food and conversation. Some people remained at the table, alternating between nibbling and chatting. Alya and Nino cuddled together in the sun, whispering sweet nothings into the other’s ear. Marinette and Chloe were having a semi-friendly argument over fashion and stitches. While Marinette clearly knew more about the mechanics of clothing construction she had yet to garner Chloe’s eye for patterns that made a fashionable, yet one of a kind look. Nathalie and Adrien stood together on the sand. They said nothing, enjoying the companionable silence they had built over the years. But then Adrien saw Arienne walking along the shore by herself and decided now was a good a time as any to talk one on one with her. A nod to Nathalie served as his notice of departure and the woman let him go. Looking around she spotted his father, leaning under the shade of a tree against its trunk. Nathalie took a seat on the stone next to him.

Though they had worked together closely for many years now it had been quite some time since they had been alone in a room together. Since losing his wife Gabriel had tried to get over her by going through girlfriends like they were fashion templates. It was a rather refreshing change of pace, to be able to be alone with him, even in the middle of a crowd.

Brushing a stray lock of hair back into her ponytail Nathalie idly commented, “It’s wonderful, isn’t it?” she asked. He did not respond and she continued to talk, “I mean, this situation right now. Picnics on the beach, eating exquisite food outside in the sunshine, watching the waves as they roll in, sitting here next to you… I feel we haven’t spent any time together in so long… It’s like a dream.”

Gabriel nodded as he looked out to the ocean, eyes distant, “It’s a perfect condition for a romantic getaway isn’t it?” he asked.

“What are you thinking about?” Nathalie pressed.

“Arianne, she would have loved this sort of thing,” Gabriel mused, “An outdoor picnic on the beach with our son and his friends… If she had been here and we didn’t have this infernal game hanging over our heads… It would be a paradise. She would have enjoyed herself so much…”

Nathalie’s expression changed to one of wistful melancholy, “Yes,” she agreed, sounding a little choked up, “She would have.”

Gabriel seemed to remember himself, “I suppose I should apologize,” he said, “I should apologize for pulling away when all you were trying to do was keep us together. You’ve done so much for my family these past eight years Nathalie… and all I seem to have done to repay you is act like a rebellious teenager.”

“You were no worse than Adrien,” Nathalie tried to laugh it off, smoothing an imaginary lock of hair behind her ear.

Gabriel placed a hand on her shoulder, causing her to look at him, at how close he was, “Really, my wife treasured you as an employee, I treasure you… When I heard you sing for a moment- for a moment it felt like Arianne was back, like all the wasted years had vanished and everything was back to the way it was.”

“I’m sure it was nice…” Nathalie said after a moment, her cheeks pinking, “But you can never go back to the past. You can’t even go back to who you were. All you can do is keep moving forward. I choose to treasure each day for what it is, for what it brings, and for whom it makes me.”

“I almost wonder what happened eight years ago,” Gabriel studied her, “You grew quite a bit in such a short amount of time. Or perhaps change is the word that’s more appropriate.”

“Change is such a strong word for what happened,” Nathalie smiled as she saw Adrien be joined by Marinette, “I suppose I merely stepped up when I needed to.”

“The way you are, it’s a wonder you haven’t married yet,” Gabriel mused.

“Well it’s not so simple as finding someone and picking them,” Nathalie laughed, “Truth be told Gabriel, I- there’s- Love already dwells within my heart.”

“Really? For who?”

“For Adrien, and his friends, and you of course. I would be so upset if something happened to you.”

“But are you  _ in _ love with anyone?”

“Yes,” Nathalie’s answer was a whisper of surrender, “There’s a man who holds my heart so deeply, so tightly that I scarce remember when I gave it to him, nor would I ever have the strength to ask for it back.”

“So why aren’t you with him?”

“Why indeed,” Nathalie wondered, “Well I suppose it’s because he has yet to see me for who I truly am… And you Gabriel?” she turned the tables suddenly, “Do you love Arienne? Truly love her?”

“She will never take my Arianne’s place,” Gabriel answered without hesitation, “But I do feel affection for her. At this age, love is not the raging inferno all the songs and stories would have young people believe.”

“It’s more a quiet, welcoming flame that warms you from the inside out,” Nathalie agreed, “Tempered by the years of heartbreak, able to be doused but worth the cold risk of rejection nonetheless.”

They sat there in silence, people and water watching. The breeze stirred their hair and clothes, and there was a sense of peace and contentment that simply couldn’t be found back in Paris.

At last Gabriel said, “You’re a good woman Nathalie.”

Nathalie turned to look at him and a secretive smile spread across her face, “And you’re a good man, Gabriel.”

MLB

Adrien had chased after Arienne as she walked along the surf, letting the water tickle her bare toes. Quietly she sung a song to herself, the same song Nathalie had heard the night before. Though she was distracted by her own thoughts Adrien noticed that whenever he appeared in her line of vision she would conveniently shift direction to avoid him. He got the hint, but still followed. She continued humming, and that was what he saw as an opening.

“That’s a really pretty song you’re singing,” he told her.

Arienne stopped, looked over her shoulder at him, and giggled, “You would think so, wouldn’t you?”

“Are you a singer?”

“I suppose…” Arienne picked up a stray conch shell and looked at it thoughtfully.

“I recognize those,” Adrien said, “They say if you hold it up to your ear you can hear the sea.”

“And do you?”

“Not really, it’s never worked on me,” Adrien scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

“I hear it you know,” Arienne parried cryptically.

“You hear the sea?”

Rather than answering Arienne sang the melody again. When she finished she held a secretive finger up to her mouth and said, “The sea taught that to me.”

Adrien was dumbfounded and didn’t know how to respond. While he was trying to formulate anything to say in regards to that Arienne continued her singing and wandered further along the coast. Marinette tapped him on the shoulder. Adrien turned around to look at her.

“What were you two talking about?” she asked gently.

“She’s been singing some odd little melody, says the sea taught it to her.”

“Perhaps now isn’t the time to worry about that,” Marinette suggested, “Let’s think of something else.”

“My mother-” Adrien started then stopped. Marinette gestured for him to go on, “It’s just, this place, this atmosphere. It was the sort of thing she used to love. Back when she was healthy, songs and frivolous activities like picnics on the beach were commonplace. And my father would laugh and smile and sing and play, for her. Only for her. That opera last night- it was the first time I’d seen him near an instrument in years. And I wish she had been here to see it. I want Father to be happy, he’s spent so long unhappy, dealing with the loss of my mother. But something about Arienne just doesn’t sit right with me. It feels like he’s not trying to move on with her, but rather using her as a substitute. They use the same petnames for each other my parents did. Her name is very similar to my mom’s… And, I have to wonder if she isn’t the woman Nathalie said had approached her claiming to be my mother.”

“It does all seem more than a little suspicious,” Marinette agreed, “But without concrete proof, what more can we do? They’ll claim we’re hurling baseless operations around and we’ll end up isolating ourselves. This game might be on pause for now, but it’s not over yet.”

“On pause, huh,” Adrien mused as he stared out over the sea.

Without warning, Marinette wrapped her arms around him. Due to the nature of their -was it technically a profession?- they had ended up in rather compromising situations more than once over the years. But those had always been brushed aside with flirtatious teasing and a reminder that now was not the time, only for an abrupt return to routine once they were back home. Casual touches between them were often nothing more than a fist bump or high five. He couldn’t recall Marinette ever hugging him before.

“Marinette-” her embrace tightened, “What- why are you-”

“Because you looked like you needed a hug,” he looked like he needed much more than that, but Marinette wasn’t about to tell him now, “And you know, I’m always here for you. You’re my partner, you’re my best friend. I don’t know where I’d be without you anymore.”

“Best friend huh?” Adrien smirked even as he returned the hug, “Sure Alya won’t be jealous?”

“Please,” Marinette scoffed, “I think she’s been waiting to hear we hooked up since she met you. As it is I’m probably not going to hear the end of this for a month, you know assuming we survive that long.”

“With Lady Luck on this island? I’d say our chances are pretty good.”

“Flirt,”

“Me?” he sounded theatrically affronted, “Why My Lady, we’re just friends.”

A muffled giggle met his ears, and Adrien didn’t have to see her to know she was rolling her eyes at him. Adrien buried himself into the hug, Marinette buried her face into the crook of his shoulder. Their breathing matched time with the gentle crash of the waves on the shore; and for a moment, everything was absolutely perfect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Funnily enough, this entire chapter wasn't supposed to be just the beach and a rest. I was supposed to get into the next part of plot progression but then my brain was like, "No, you write fluff for your ships" and I'm like, "Okay, whatever" and so here we are. If you guys could leave a comment and let me know how I'm doing that'd be great. Until next time


	4. Castle in the Sky

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peace is broken, puzzles are solved, but more questions are asked than answered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I said there was bound to be some radio silence this weekend because of school work but I got inspired for one scene and then it was like, might as well write the rest.

Peace and tranquility were a welcome change from the hectic and terrifying nature the lives of everyone had taken since embarking on this silly game. A precious commodity that was not to be squandered. Of course, considering everything, specifically Adrien's reputation for being unlucky, such nice things weren’t meant to last. Adrien was the one to hear it first. The grunts and growls emanating from the woods just a few short paces from the beach.

“What is it?” Marinette asked.

“We need to grab the others and run,”

“Why?”

“There’s something watching us. And I don’t doubt that the challenges are supposed to get harder, remember what the stakes are.”

“Eternal life, or the loss of your own,” Marinette nodded, “But we need to do the right thing.”

“Can we really get to the bottom of this if there are no more eliminations?”

“I suppose,” Marinette allowed, “It doesn’t feel right though,”

“Neither does any of this,” Adrien shook his head, “Come on.”

They sprinted across the sand and went their separate ways. Marinette went straight for Alya and Nino while Adrien went for his father and Nathalie. Arienne had still been wandering by the sea, but Adrien had no time to check that she was still there.

“We need to go,” Adrien panted harshly.

The other two looked at him oddly, “Why?” Nathalie asked.

“There’s something in the woods,” Adrien explained in a rush, “And whatever it is is not friendly.”

“Right,” Gabriel quickly checked to make sure his butterfly tie was still in place, “I need to get Arienne and-”

Just then a large growl filled the air. From out of the trees stalked big cats. All large, all powerful, and all black. Every one of them had a single ear covered in a metal plate. It didn’t make sense, until Adrien tried communicating with them. Their thoughts were scrambled and misunderstood. Whatever that thing was, it was keeping them helpless little puppets. Their orders were clear, to chase after the players.

MLB

They were chased through the woods, the big cats only straying just far enough behind to allow the humans a bit of a lead. They weren’t in real danger, but being cornered meant being caught, and being caught meant losing the game. Eventually the group was chased within view of a large castle poking out of the sky. The window of a tower that faced them decorated with a butterfly motif. Now why did that seem so familiar? Nearby three large cages hung suspended from trees. As though they were being watched the MC’s voice broadcast through the island.

“Challenge number three: cross the river and make it to the castle in one piece.”

They had the pieces, now all that was needed was to fit them together. Adrien and Marinette looked to the cages and their minds were a whirl. The other players saw the same thing and went for them, gathering by the trunks. The jungle cats were still on their trail and about the corner them. Alya, Nino, Nathalie, and Chloe of all people gathered with the two super sleuths. Gabriel had been lost sometime back, and Adrien hated to imagine what had befallen his father. But to save the man he had to see this through.

“Wait!” Nino cried. He ran out under the cage and said, “Here!”

Marinette, who had been in the process of untying the knot, figured it out first and nodded, “Right.” Pulling tight on the slack she joined him as the cats closed in. with nothing more to lose so did the other three.

“On three!” one of the other players called, “One, two, three!” the ropes were released, and so were the cages. But where the first fell over the group, the second and third fell over nothing, not even the cats. It left the players vulnerable as they scrambled atop them, seeking safety.

Meanwhile the group of six each took a hold of one bar on the cage and lifted, even Chloe. They went together, counting their feet with a one-two motion in order to keep time and keep in step. The jungle cats were surrounding everyone else. But then Chloe stumbled and messed up the step, causing everyone else to fumble as well. The cage went toppling, and the noise attracted the predators. Everyone quickly got up and began running for their lives once more.

MLB

Through the woods they raced, eventually coming upon a small cabin. An odd place for it but they weren’t about to complain as they now had a more suitable plan than simply running. The door was shut, the lock snicked, and the six of them were safe, but trapped inside. The interior proved the purpose of this building to be nothing more than a storage shack. And then an ear piercing wail lit burned through the walls.

Chloe, who else, sat there freaking out, “It’s gone!” she shrieked before devolving into incoherent nonsense, hair hanging around her face, “It was priceless and now it’s gone!”

“What’s gone?” Alya asked.

“My hair comb!” Chloe bawled, “I’ve had that comb for years, there’s not another like it in the world! It’s an antique and now it’s gone!”

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” Nino threw his hands up in defeat, “We’re trapped in here with viscious wildcats surrounding the place, and all you can think about is an accessory?”

“Wait,” Nathalie grabbed his wrist, “Let me handle it,”

She strode over to the distraught girl and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. She said nothing, allowing the other to finish her outburst. In the meantime, Nathalie smoothed back the errant locks into a high ponytail on the crying woman’s head, tying it off with a flourish.

“There, there,” Nathalie soothed, “As soon as this is over, you’ll get it back. I promise, even if the whole island will need to be scoured.”

“You promise?” Chloe sniffed.

“Promise,” Nathalie affirmed, “Now, let’s see about getting out of here.”

The group looked around, noticing the mish mash of random objects that had been stored in here. Chloe took an interest in an overlarge yellow trompo, Alya and Adrien took interest in orange and silver bo staffs respectively. Nino liked the look of a large green shield. Nathalie couldn’t decide between a bladed fan and what looked to be some type of thin dagger with an odd feather design on the handle. Experimentally she swished it at Alya, catching the chain of the other’s necklace with the tip. They shared a laugh as the foxtail pendant dangled between them. Marinette gravitated to a red and black yoyo, the ball of which large enough to look like it could cause some damage.

“Everyone have something to defend themselves with?” Marinette asked.

“Right!” came the chorused reply.

“Looks like we’re going to have to fight our way out of this then. On three, ready? One, two, three!”

The door was unlocked and open and the six poured out, each with their weapons at the ready. There seemed a moment of confusion before the cats reacted, singling off an opponent and readying for skirmish. Alya stayed close to Nino, his weapon being more for defensive maneuvers than offensive ones. He kept her covered while she beat off the felines with her staff. Chloe and Marinette used their weapons to keep their enemies a wide berth from them, swinging their objects in timed wide arcs so as to minimize open chance for attack. Adrien was divided between fending for himself and keeping an eye on Nathalie -who as far as he knew was untrained in self-defense. Then again, he’d never known Chloe to be an expert in that field either, but a spoiled brat could do great things when determined. Nathalie, much to Adrien’s simultaneous pride and consternation, was laughing as she slashed and hacked the air, making enough of a show to keep the cats away from her.

“What is it you think you’re doing?” Adrien called over the sounds of the fray.

“Defending myself dear!” Nathalie called back, a hearty laugh of pure enjoyment following the statement.

“I didn’t really think this was a laughing moment!” Adrien tried to get her to focus.

“Nonsense!” she tutted, jumping gracefully out of the way as one of the felines lunged for her, “I haven’t had this much fun in ages!”

Eventually the felines were beaten, all of them lying unconscious while the humans panted from exertion. When their breaths had caught up to them again Alya let out a cry of alarm. Her hand had gone to her throat where normally her pendant sat awaiting her touch. But now her neck was bare, the pendant was gone.

“My necklace!” she exclaimed. Nino instantly went to comfort her, while Chloe muttered some choice words about how when Alya freaked out over jewelry she was justified but when Chloe did it it was annoying.

“Nevermind that,” Nathalie said, looking warily at the still unconscious cats, “We need to leave here, now. As much fun as I had fighting these things I don’t think I have the strength to do it again.”

“But-” Alya tried to protest.

“No,” Marinette cut in, “There are only two possible places you could have lost it,” she reasoned, “Out here or in the cabin. Both of which will still exist when we’re done with this deadly game. In the meantime, Nathalie’s right, we need to keep moving. Let’s get to the castle.”

There came a murmur of begrudging agreement and they backtracked to the river. Just a short distance from where they had veered off into the woods they spotted a bridge. As they came further into the castle grounds the PuzzleMaster greeted them.

“Ladies and gentlemen, please make your way to the courtyard.”

And so there were six of them left. The courtyard they came to was a suspended piece of architecture with bridges being the only way of getting about. Three doorways were visible, bridges leading to towers behind each one. And on the floor were three letters: Q, U, and E.

“You next puzzle is to find the door that leads to the Queen’s chamber and enter through it. Good luck,” they were instructed. The choices were getting tougher, considering. There were enough people in their group for a test of trial and error, but knowing the fate of error they decided not to risk it.

“I’ve got it!” Alya exclaimed, “The letters on the floor can make the word queen. But the last E and the N are missing. One of the doors lies between the first E and the Q, and we must ENter through the door to find the Queen’s chamber. We should go that way.”

The noises of discussion rose as they debated the answer for a moment or two. Meanwhile Adrien looked around at the castle, noticing the butterfly motif a few more times. It struck a chord of familiarity with him, but he couldn’t put his finger on it just yet. He’d need to go exploring, alone.

“Mari,” he grabbed his partner’s shoulder, “Can you make sure the rest of them stay safe?”

Marinette cast worried eyes on him, “What are you planning?”

“Something about this place… it seems so familiar to me. But I can’t figure it out if I’m stuck playing by a madman’s rules. I need to explore, and that means making the wrong choice.”

“But-” Marinette stumbled for an excuse. And it attracted someone else’s attention.

“Adrien you can’t be serious,” Nathalie pouted, “To needlessly put yourself in danger like that-”

“Nath,” Adrien gave her a look, “You’ve always been like a mother to me. And I’m grateful for it. I’ve needed it. But in order to stop whatever’s going on here, like you asked of us, we need to get to the bottom of who’s behind it. I need you to trust me.”

“Oh,” her eyes misted up and she took his right hand in both of hers, “Adrien, I-” she sniffed, soft grip firming over his hand, “Promise me you’ll be careful, as careful as you can.”

“I can’t say I can,” Adrien smiled as he shook his head, “I’m the Chat Noir after all. But then again, cats always land on their feet. I’ll be fine no matter what.”

The top hand curled ever so slightly, dragging off his own as though it was a forced motion. Nathalie relented and let him go, “Alright,” she held a fisted hand over her heart, “Go,”

Adrien nodded and chose another door. Nathalie and Marinette followed behind the others.

MLB

The tower he entered was a circular room, with edging and a rather pit like sunken floor in the center. Remembering his host’s penchant for trapdoors Adrien opted out of the direct route across. The door on the other side opened into a staircase. He followed it back into the main part of the castle and carefully picked his way about, hoping he ran into no one. The bo staff he had chosen had been capable of size change and was resting snugly in his pocket, but he didn’t want to test his reaction time with the weapon just yet.

Eventually he stumbled into a bedroom that overlooked the sea. The sun was setting on this second day and Adrien wondered how much longer this game would last. There weren’t that many of them left now, and what was truly the prize being offered here? Eternal life? It still seemed a bit too far fetched. There were plenty of rich people still dying the world over. And surely an invention this useful would not be out of their price ranger? Eternal life was a priceless gift, but there was always someone ready to put a price on things like it.

Adrien took another look around the room, and noticed that photos decorated a good bit of the space. Oddly enough, he recognized one of his younger pictures, from when he was just a preteen. It wasn’t a model shot, though the quality was professional. It looked as though it had been taken without his notice, which was a bit unnerving. What was it doing here? There was a photo of him when he was really young, one of him and his father, caught in a moment of happiness and laughter. Something that had been missing from their relationship for quite some time. And then another, on the piano. This one of a young couple, and they looked very familiar. Right next to it was another, a wedding photo. And in it were his parents. And then, resting right next to the keys, there was one final portrait. One of a young woman delirious with happiness, a wriggling infant in her arms and she looked at it with such love in her eyes. Her deep, vibrant, green eyes. The resemblance was uncanny. First in the wedding photo, and now this. And all that would come out of his mouth was,

“Mom?”

But that was impossible wasn’t it? His mother had disappeared over ten years ago. Had been legally dead for eight of them. Why had she been here? Had his father known? Oh gods above his father! What had happened to Gabriel? The designer had somehow slipped behind the rest of the group during the chase and now what? The felines hadn’t have gotten to him, since there had been the same number attacking them as there had chasing them. Was it possible? Had his father been in on this whole situation?

It did seem a bit odd, now that Adrien really thought about it, that his father would return to the instrument after so long away. And return to it to compose an opera about the one thing he seemed to hate above all else. From the day Arianne had gone missing the word Miracula had been forever banned from being used in the house. All the books, drawings, notes on the subject had been thrown away. Or so he had thought. But as frantic and frightening as his line of thought was becoming Adrien tried to calm himself. And then he saw it. The open notebook on the piano’s sheet music stand. It was blank, save for a small score scrawled in his mother’s elegant hand across the top. Titled, ‘Song of the Sea’.

“You shouldn’t be here,” a voice came from behind him. Adrien turned, it was Arienne.

“You’re alright,” Adrien said the first thought that popped into his head.

“You shouldn’t be here!” Arienne shouted again, this time her voice came across sounding disjointed and fractured, like there were two people speaking at once.

“And why not?”

“You shouldn’t have come here. She shouldn’t have brought you. You, you mustn’t interfere!” Arienne howled with rage, that dual-tonal quality increasing as she grew more and more upset.

She turned to the door and began to flee. But an instinctive hand on the keys halted her. Her knuckles were white on the handle. Adrien turned to the sheet music and began to play. The song. Her song. The song his mother had left behind.

“Can you tell me what’s going on?” he asked when he noticed Arienne looking over her shoulder at him.

The expression she made, it hurt. She was in so much pain it was palpable. Adrien felt it like a deep jab to the heart. Tears welled in the woman’s eyes, her breathing grew shallow and noisy, like she was crying, and she was visibly shaking. But, as though they were in an anime it happened. It felt like it had happened in slow motion. Arienne’s eyes shut tightly and she turned her head away. The door opened and she rushed out, slamming the wood behind her. And Adrien was left alone, with more questions than he was sure there were answers for.

MLB

The rest of the group made it into the queen’s chamber. But Marinette was visibly nervous along the way. She was biting her lip, her fingers, all the signs of nervous worry. And she was, she was worried what might happen to her partner, the man she had grown so close to, the man that she had come to… But he might never know, and it killed her that she had waited so long; content in the complacency of friend and partnership that they had thrived on for so long. She never got to tell him, and now she might never have the chance. The thought hurt more than anything. But everyone was so caught up they didn’t seem to notice. All except one.

“Marinette, what’s wrong?” Nathalie asked her.

“I’m worried,” Marinette sniffed, trying to blink away tears, “I- I- I had something, something I wanted to say to him. For three years I’ve been trying to get my nerve up, hoping to tell him-”

“That you love him?” Nathalie finished.

“Yes,” Marinette sobbed quietly, “I was always so scared of confessing, and now he might die without ever knowing how I feel about him and-” she was getting ready to ramble, a sign she was truly upset.

Nathalie’s hands came to the sides of her face, long fingers extending under her ears and the older woman forced the younger to look at her straight on.

“Listen to me now,” Nathalie encouraged, “I know Adrien. I know him better than anyone. I worry too, believe me I do. It means I love him, but what is love without trust? You need to trust in his own abilities. Never forget Adrien is more than Adrien, he’s your partner. And if I know my Adrien then he’s as right as rain. Keep faith, and you will meet him again. I promise you that.”

“My Adrien?” Marinette questioned.

Nathalie looked shocked that it was being repeated back to her. She balled her fists up and stuck them under her chin, blushing pink with embarrassment. “In a motherly sort of way dear,” she laughed nervously, “Not in any way romantic, though I’ll admit my interest doesn’t lie outside of the Agreste family.”

“You like Gabriel Agreste?”

Nathalie flushed again. She nodded meekly, “Though I doubt he could ever see beyond the past that was Arianne. Even if she was brought back to him, I wonder if he would recognize her…”

“So you think there’s no hope?” Marinette asked as they approached the door.

There was a melancholic, wistful smile on Nathalie’s face, “I wish I could say no, but after eight years…”

Whatever Nathalie had been about to say next was cut off. They had entered into the chamber but nothing awaited them.

“What now?” Nino asked aloud. There were no further instructions. Could it have been that this was the final round? But then, who won?

Just as this thought was voiced bars slammed shut over the door. Marinette and Nino tugged at the cage, only to find another set slamming down just before the bed.

“What’s going on here?” Chloe cried.

A figure emerged from behind the gossamer curtains of the balcony. Clad in a purple suit with black accents, and a silver mask with the outline of a butterfly over his face. The criminal mastermind Marinette had been on the tail of when she’d first met Adrien, the same criminal they’d been chasing down ever since.

“Hawkmoth!” Marinette exclaimed. She felt stupid. She should have known. Who else would have thought of all this?

“You know this man?” Nathalie asked, corroborated by the similar stares from everyone else.

“He’s a notorious criminal mastermind,” Marinette hissed.

Hawkmoth laughed, “Please,” he scoffed, “I am merely a historian with aspirations of grandeur.” a snap of his fingers and henchmen appeared, “Bring Mademoiselle Cesaire with me. The game is over, and the rest will join us shortly.”

The cage was opened and the goons rushed inside they surrounded Alya. Nathalie looked the most alarmed.

“No!” she exclaimed, rushing over and beating on one of their shoulders with nothing more than their hands. The situation was happening too quickly for any of them to recall the weapons they had on hand.

“Ah yes, and seize those weapons of theirs,” Hawkmoth added when the girl was brought to him, “We don’t want to allow them escape, now do we?”

The henchmen returned and divested them of their accoutrements and carried them off. Left behind was the group of five, their only option to await their fate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are heating up and actually this was supposed to be way longer but it felt natural to stop where it did... let me know what you think will happen next. Those of you who have seen Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva don't spoil it for anyone else though, okay? Until next time


	5. The Truth Revealed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The game has come to an end, but there are still a few more puzzles left to be solved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter should probably be the last, all things considering. I kind of wanted to end this on a nice five chapters but this one got long enough without it. Anyways, might I recommend pulling up Eternal Diva's song of the sea on youtube before reading this? There are no cues to start playing it, but when you hit it you'll know, and I feel it might add a bit more gravitas to the scene.
> 
> Either way, let's get into it!

The group of four was brought further and further into the depths of the castle by the armed guards. However, they passed an unoccupied hallway and Marinette looked to Alya, who nodded. Marinette suddenly collapsed to the ground, crying out in agony. The guard backed off just long enough for Nathalie and Marinette to incapacitate them. The group ran off, but the alert had already been sent out. Gates were closing off the hallway, trapping them again. Guards encroached from every angle and things looked hopeless, at least they did until Marinette noticed one striking similarity. Despite the different heights and builds, all the minions appeared to be male, and despite outnumbering them it was very unlikely they were highly skilled.

“Aim for the belt!” Marinette called out, leaping into the fray and engaging in hand to hand combat. One well placed kick sent her opponent to the ground and left Nino grimacing in shared sympathy. The other girls quickly followed her example and in no time all of them were taken care of.

They tensed, hearing footsteps echoing through the hall. But it was Adrien who showed, alone. A look of extreme relief passed over her face and she leapt into his arms, squeezing tightly and babbling near incoherent nonsense.

“You’re never allowed to go off on your own like that again do you have any idea how worried I was about you you’re never leaving my side ever again!”

“I’m sorry?” Adrien replied, a little unsure of everything she had said but getting the general gist.

Marinette clapped her hands about his face and pulled him in close. She kissed him for a few seconds before abruptly pulling back with an audible noise as their mouths separated.

“Never again kitty,” Marinette said to his dumbfounded look.

“Does that mean-”

Marinette rolled her eyes and smirked, “We’re just friends, very good friends.”

The line had been something he’d said to reporters the many times they had been posed a similar question. Despite the answer obviously being different now it was clear that Marinette had picked up on his own not so subtle feelings and was never going to let him live this down. Not for quite some time.

“At any rate,” Adrien shook himself together even as Marinette still hugged herself tight to his side, “I’m glad to see you’re all safe.”

“Not all of us,” Nino replied, “They took Alya.”

“I figured as much,” Adrien said, “For now she’ll be fine. But we’ll still need to hurry.”

“What did you find?” Marinette asked him.

“My father,” Adrien said, “I don’t know how involved he was, but it’s clear there’s more to all of this than meets the eye. I found a room, with pictures of my mother, and my father, and me. And a song in a notebook. I also found Arienne, but something was noticeably wrong with her.”

“Wrong?” Chloe seemed only slightly more interested than usual, “How?”

It will all become clear very soon. Nathalie,” he looked at his friend and caretaker, “Are you ready to finish this?”

Nathalie looked at him a long moment as he held his hand out to her. Nathalie took it and squeezed, “Yes,” she replied, “Let’s end this.

MLB

Alya had been brought down. Down, down into the depths of the building, so far down that they passed normal constructed foundations and were instead brought into an illuminated cavern where the man in purple surely waited. The guards surrounded her with a wide berth, but made certain their ranks were tight enough to keep her from escaping. Alya heard voices.

“Have we come to the end?”

“Everything is going according to plan, just as I told you it would. Just as it has been for the last eight years.”

“Plan? What plan? You kidnapped innocent people! Sold those tickets when there was only ever supposed to be one winner! That’s not a plan at all!”

Hawkmoth laughed, “That was my plan. Besides, we ended up with much more than we thought we had needed. I would never have realized how useful your little assistant could be.”

“She didn’t want to be involved with this, not since the first time.”

“And yet she brought your son and his little friend into our business. Well, it was fortunate she did.”

Their conversation silenced abruptly as Alya was brought in. Hawkmoth was surrounded by those large black felines that had chased them earlier. And the one he was talking to. It was, it was,

“Mister Agreste?” Alya couldn’t believe it, “You’re, you’re involved with all of this.”

Gabriel’s face remained impassive, but he strode forward and ran a finger under her chin, “The complexion doesn’t match, but I suppose I can’t afford to be picky at this point.”

“Picky?”

“You’ve won my dear. Cleverness and trickery, you certainly resemble your sigil. Which we’ll need soon, as we will from all the others, but before that, come.”

Alya noticed the Concertona sitting at the bottom, “The Concertona!”

“The ship never blew up,” Hawkmoth replied, sensing the unspoken question, “We merely used diversionary explosives that would cause a great deal of smoke. The device is quite difficult to move and must be treated with the utmost care and caution.”

“You see,” Gabriel picked up, “It’s more than just a mere instrument, it holds the key to eternal life.”

“And I am the one who created it,” Hawkmoth finished, drawing a key from under his lapel and inserting it, starting up the machinery.

Gabriel noticed one of the two remaining lights flicker out, and he started to panic, “Come now,” he grabbed hold of Alya’s arm and brought her to a chair, sitting near was an odd looking helmet, “It is time for you to receive the gift of eternal life.”

“But I don’t want eternal life!” Alya cried as she struggled against him.

“What a pity,” Gabriel said without mercy, “Because you are going to receive it whether you want to or not.”

The helmet was placed on her head, the machine started up. Gabriel Agreste’s hand was on the lever that would begin whatever process was about to transpire. And Alya thought all hope was lost.

MLB

Quick as they could the group ran for the cavern, hoping to save Alya before it was too late. They entered the room just in time to see Gabriel’s hand on the lever, ready to pull. And Adrien saw red.

“That’s enough!” he said loudly, firmly.

The group raced into the room and Marinette and Nathalie went straight for the guards, taking them out and getting Alya far away from the device.

“Father, what do you think you’re doing?” Adrien asked.

Gabriel sighed, “I know what you’re thinking-”

“You were trying to steal someone’s life from them!”

“But it is simply not true,” Gabriel finished.

“Do you think I’m an idiot?” Adrien asked, “Granted, I still have questions, but I believe I’ve managed to figure it out.”

“Then enlighten us Chat Noir,” Hawkmoth goaded.

“Allow me to start,” Marinette said, “Over eight years ago, your wife Arianne grew incredibly ill, so ill there was no cure. Nothing except a slow demise as she grew weaker and weaker while her body started rejecting itself.”

“While mom was dying,” Adrien picked up the thread, “Rather, because mom was dying you had her brought to this island under the guise of disappearing utterly. For two years you and Hawkmoth invested time and money into the Concertona, which you then used to copy everything of mom- her memories, her personality, everything into the body of another. However, there was a catch. None of the women you brought were able to fully complete a memory transfer, their own personality and memories would force the copy of mom out of their body. Arienne was just the latest in a long line, wasn’t she?” he thought back to all the women his father had attempted to use to get over his wife’s death. But Adrien had never realized just how deep the level of using them had gone until now.

“But even so, Arienne’s real personality was coming back wasn’t it? When she confronted me earlier, she sounded like there were two people in her body, fighting for control. That was mom in there? Mom fighting with Arienne for control of the body. And Arienne, the real Arienne was winning. But naturally, without another host, mom’s memories would fade forever. So you needed a mind that could accept mom completely. But I don’t doubt how thorough you are when doing research, the game aspect of it; that was Hawkmoth’s idea wasn’t it? But your real goal was to continue copying mom until you found the perfect host, keeping her alive forever.”

“A brilliant deduction little Agreste,” Hawkmoth said with faux-praise, “When did you suspect my involvement?”

“Not as early on as I should have,” Adrien admitted, “But seeing this butterfly filled castle was proof enough for me.”

Hawkmoth did nothing but laugh. But as he did, attention was only diverted to him for a brief moment. Gabriel had taken the helmet and gotten close to Marinette. Too close. The helmet was plopped onto her head as Gabriel held her arms behind her back, “I know you had feelings for her Adrien,” Gabriel said, “But this one will have to do.”

The lever was pulled even as Marinette cast a worried gaze to her beloved. But nothing happened. A look over at the machine revealed that the key was missing from its ignition.

“The key!” Gabriel ran over to Hawkmoth, “Who took the key?” turning on his son he was ice cold, “I know you don’t approve of what I’ve been doing, but I need that key. Give it back, the Concertona can’t hold her memories for much longer, she’ll die! She’ll disappear forever!”

“Father, when would I have had the time to take the key?” Adrien asked, “I haven’t moved from this spot since I entered the room.”

“Then who took it?”

“I know who took it. It’s the same person who’s been aware of all of this from the start. The same person who’s been trying to keep you from repeating your mistakes.”

“Who was it?”

“You mean you haven’t guessed? Well, I suppose they did hide themselves very carefully. And that person is-”

“Before we solve the mystery of who took the key,” Hawkmoth interrupted, “Your sigils, I want them handed over now.”

“Sigils?” the others echoed.

Hawkmoth smirked, “So, you could figure out that I was involved, and yet not the reason for it? You might be bright children, but you’re still children nonetheless. I’m sure you’ve noticed by now that this island was once the location of Miracula. The island of the seven gods. And you know how the story goes. Seven gods, into seven pieces of jewelry once worn by their beloved queen. Scattered to the world and utterly useless without the Queen’s song. The song of Harmony, the song of Miracula. Through my research I discovered that these sigils were not in fact lost to time, only their names were. Each of you were brought here. Gabriel and your mother owned the Peacock and Butterfly brooches, Mademoiselle Cesaire and Monseigneur Lahiffe the Fox necklace and the Turtle bracelet. Mademoiselle Bourgeois the Bee’s comb. I had five, and then Nathalie invited you two, the last pieces; the black Cat’s ring and the Ladybug’s earrings. With all the sigils and the song of Miracula revealed to me all I need is Arianne’s voice to revive the gods. But Arianne can wait just a little while longer. Your sigils, if you value your lives.”

“But I don’t have my comb!” Chloe wailed, “It got lost while I was running from your pets!”

“My necklace was lost when I was fighting them,” Alya added.

The other three checked their persons. Each piece of jewelry mentioned was missing. Which was even more dangerous than the key. Hawkmoth looked surprised and angry.

“What happened to your sigils?” he asked tersely.

“Likely whoever took the key, took the sigils,” Marinette reasoned, “They were aware of what you were doing and didn’t want it to come to fruition.”

Before they could question the matter further an anguished, dual-toned scream echoed from further down a tunnel connected to the back of the cavern.

“Arianne!” Gabriel cried, racing off in the direction of the noise.

Hawkmoth chuckled lowly, “Seems our little songbird was finally able to remember the right notes. Shall we see to her safety?” the guards behind them reinforced the fact that there was no other choice as Hawkmoth walked leisurely down the path. With nothing left for them here and no way to resist, they followed.

MLB

They found Gabriel kneeling next to a collapsed Arienne. She had fallen unconscious, but didn’t looked to be otherwise injured.

“Arianne?” Gabriel shook her gently, “Please, speak to me.”

Arienne’s eyes fluttered open slowly. She looked so confused.

“Arienne?” Adrien questioned, offering a hand to stand up.

“Arienne?” she repeated, “My name’s Marceline. But, I do remember. There, there was a woman. A beautiful woman, she had blonde hair, and green eyes. Like you,” Marceline smiled at Adrien, “And she said her name was-”

“Arianne?” Adrien finished.

“Yes, that was it,” Marceline nodded, “But she’s gone now.”

Gabriel couldn’t suppress the growled, “No!” that escaped him.

“But the question remains,” Marinette stepped in, “Where is the key, and the sigils?”

Then a voice echoed around them, sounding like it was coming everywhere. Similar to the song that Marceline had been singing as Arienne, but different. More in line with how the mind thought it should go. And dual-toned, as if it were two voices singing, giving it an ethereal quality due to the sparsity of things that could absorb the sound. And just as quickly as it hard started, it stopped.

“Arianne,” Gabriel breathed, “It’s her. She’s here, but how?”

“Mom,” Adrien only barely stifled a gasp, “It’s her, she’s the one who’s been trying to stop this. She’s the one who took the sigils.”

“Then she also has the key, doesn’t she?” Alya chimed in.

“Precisely,” Marinette affirmed, “And the one who has the key…” there was a dramatic pause as she looked around and settled on her culprit, pointing at them, “Is you!”

Nathalie held a fist to her brooch. The peacock brooch, the one that had belonged to Arianne. And in that fist, was the key to the Concertona.

“Come now, I think it’s time to explain everything don’t you Nathalie? Or perhaps I should say Arianne?”

Nathalie took a deep breath and sighed, “You’re right, I am Arianne.”

A gasp rippled through the crowd at her admission.

“It all started about eight years ago. Do you remember darling?” she asked Gabriel, “When you had first completed the Concertona, you asked Nathalie if she would be willing to let me use her body to live on. You thought that the procedure had failed, but it hadn’t. Nathalie allowed me to stay, willfully burying herself so that I could live and act in her place. To take care of both of you as I once had. I had been ill, for so long. And it was a miracle to walk and dance and sing again. To be there for you and my darling son.”

Gabriel was flabbergasted, “So then, I never needed any of those others.”

Hawkmoth applauded, “Congratulations Agreste,” he said, “we’ve accomplished our goal.”

“But if you really were there this whole time,” Gabriel turned back to Arianne, “Why didn’t you tell me?

“I wanted so much to tell you back then, but I thought that no matter what I looked like, you loved me enough to recognize me just from how I would act. And you know that Nathalie and I were very different in terms of how we expressed ourselves. I thought it would have been obvious, but it wasn’t. I was saddened, but I thought I needed to take care of Adrien most of all, that he needed me, that you could handle yourself. And I too believed that you were moving on. But the more time went by, I began to realize how wrong this was. And that was when I noticed it. All those girls you dated, they acted like me, believes they _were_ me. And that’s when I realized, you were still using the Concertona, still taking women and trying to project me onto, _into_ them. And yet, with each failure you kept spiraling down further. I knew it was wrong to take another person’s life for myself, but I continued to stay because I was worried that things might go too far, that in your quest to find a mind that would accept my memories you would do the unthinkable and- I feared you might be driven to take a child for your bride. I realized then that the me you loved was nothing more than a memory, that you would never be able to see beyond it. And that so long as that machine existed you would never let me go.”

“So that’s why you came to us,” Marinette said, “After making sure Adrien would have a network to get him through this. You knew he would find out the truth in the process, and you wanted him to have a net to fall back on when it was all over. Once accomplishing that, you told us of your husband’s plot.”

“That’s right,” Arianne nodded, “I knew that together, you would be the only way, the only hope of stopping Gabriel and that machine of his.”

“Arianne I-” Gabriel couldn’t find the words as he approached her, “I only did it- for you Arianne, I did it for you.”

“I know,” Arianne replied, taking his hand, “I know you were doing what you thought was best. You just lost your way along the journey. Thank you Gabriel, thank you for for your love, for bringing me back to see how wonderful our son has turned out, to see the incredible man he’s become, to see all that he can become in the future. But still, _please_ , all of this; you need to stop.”

“How can you expect me to go on living without you?” Gabriel asked her, a tear or two welling in his eyes.

“You’ll find a way,” Arianne assured him, “There’s more than just me who loves you.”

A chuckle broke through the otherwise heartwarming moment. Hawkmoth and his minions found great amusement in it.

“Sorry to interrupt,” he said, rushing forward and scooping Arianne into his arms, “But you’re not going anywhere just yet. We still have one more thing left to do.”

“Hawkmoth!” Marinette yelled even as the felines kept them at bay. They had followed him to another chamber where a new piano sat waiting. An underground lake, with seven large and animalistic-humanoid statues sat on the opposite shore.

“What are you doing?” Adrien yelled.

“I will need to borrow your mother’s voice if I am to accomplish my true goal. And that would be, to revive the gods of Miracula!”

“I should have known,” Gabriel snarled, “All he ever cared about was the Miraculan legend.”

“The legend of the seven Kwami is famous. And yet I was the first to discover the full seal of Miracula. The seal designed by the queen which holds one of the keys to reviving them.” he pointed to the walls above them, where another copy of the seal sat carved into the stone, “Do you notice the odd objects surrounding each figure?”

“I knew it!” Alya exclaimed, “They’re music!”

“Precisely, they are the notes to the first song: a song of the trees. Trees are life, creation. The sea embodies both this and death- creation’s opposite destruction. When played together these songs will resonate in perfect harmony. And with all seven sigils, the gods will be brought back to life!”

“But what does it matter?” Nathalie asked, “I thought the sigils were missing!”

“Lying is unbecoming,” Hawkmoth replied, “I know you took them from everyone else. And while I have the butterfly you still wear the peacock.”

“I-” Arianne sighed, “Yes, it’s true.”

“Take them out, and we shall outfit you with the Queen’s sigils. Then, you shall sing and bring the gods of Miracula back to life.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, next chapter is likely final chapter. Please review and tell me what you think, okay?


	6. Rebirth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, this is the end. Hope you enjoy the last installment

It looked a bit gaudy to have all the jewelry pieces on at once, but Arianne had no other choice. The felines kept her friends and loved ones at bay and in danger. If she did not sing, they would perish. Hawkmoth played the song from the seal on the piano. When he finished he turned to her.

“Sing Arianne, sing to save them. This will be your farewell performance, better make it a good one.”

He started the song again, and Arianne sang. The waters churned at the harmonizing sounds, writhing at the vibrations. Adrien went against the felines, still having his shrunken bo staff tucked away. He fended them off, but was taking the brunt of the attacks since he was the only one who could really defend himself. Even still, he was thrown back with such force it turned into a backward somersault, ending with him landing upside down against a wall. He was dizzy, but then he caught sight of the seal.

“That’s it!” he growled, leaping to his feet and aiming for the devices on the animals which kept them trapped under Hawkmoth’s control. He managed to get a good number of them, but it was too late. The song had been sung. And Hawkmoth was going to unleash the Kawmi of Miracula. They waited with baited breath, but nothing happened. The waters calmed.

“Again!” Hawkmoth ordered in frustration as he returned his fingers to the keys, “Sing it again!”

But nothing happened once more. The ear splitting sound of discordant notes filled the air as Hawkmoth punished the keys for not reviving the gods to him. And then, insane, maniacal laughter filled the air. For long moments it sounded, echoing ominously in the cavern. And then he turned.

“Very well,” Hawkmoth said, disturbing laughter still evident in his tone, “If the gods will not come for a song, perhaps they will appear for a sacrifice!” he reached for his cane, which he always had on him, and from it he drew a long sword. Its point was aimed at Arianne.

“No!” the group cried out.

Adrien used the staff to vault himself over the felines and sweep in, stopping the downward arc with a jarring clang. Again and again their weapons met, both wielders evenly matched in skill. Again and again, to the point their movements seemed more a dance than a duel. But Adrien was steadily gaining ground, until one swipe of his staff sent Hawkmoth leaping away in an astounding display of acrobatics, landing near the unconscious animals.

“Too slow,” Hawkmoth smirked.

“Is that what you think?” Adrien asked, making his way to the piano, “Because I beg to differ Hawkmoth.”

Confusion spread among the others. So Adrien decided to explain, “The Miraculan seal,” he said.

“What of it?” the villain asked.

“You only cracked the first part of the riddle. But it held one more secret you did not figure out.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You discovered the songs of the Trees and Sea. however, the seal hides not two songs, but three. A third melody which will also resonate with the other two.”

Adrien took the song book where a drawing of the seal with notes around it and sheet music lay and turned it upside down.

“It is not possible to call the gods unless you look at it a different way,” and suddenly, a different pattern of music arose from the different perspective. The motifs around the Kawmi changed from that of creation to that of destruction.

“Flames,” Hawkmoth said.

“Exactly,” Adrien concurred, “the final key is a song of the flames. A song of creation, a song of destruction, and a song of harmony. That is the true secret of the Miraculan seal. And without all three melodies, the gods will never come for you Hawkmoth.”

The purple clad villain gripped his hilt tightly in rage. Adrien put the book back on the stand and began to play the first melody.

“Mom!” he called to her, “Sing a song of the sea!”

Arianne nodded and began to sing. Her voice raised in harmony as Adrien turned the book over and added the final piece. And as it happened, something odd began to occur. The pieces of jewelry began to glow, and from them a white mist emanated. It swirled around Arianne, and for a brief moment she opened her eyes. They were not the blue of Nathalie’s body, they were instead the verdant green which had belonged to her in life. The mist cloaked her, and Arianne turned away, voice still resonating off the walls of the cave. She headed for the lake, stepping on the water as though it were nothing other than solid ground. It swirled around her, crackling with the power that radiated around her. There was magic in the air, real and present and before their very eyes.

The Sigils still glowed, but the mist began to clear. And there was Arianne. Not as she had been in this life, but perhaps as she had been in another. She wore an ancient looking dress, pure white in color, and she carried herself with a rather regal air. She reached the other shore and the statues awakened at her presence. Each piece of jewelry began to fly off of her and zip to a statue where it floated before. The eyes of the statues opened, glowing with white light that contrasted to their gray and lifeless stone forms. The energy flowed between the statues and their sigils. And balls of colored energy -red, black, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple- all began to form. The jewelry returned to Arianne’s form but they were gray and lifeless, just as the statues had been. There was nothing in them now either, and tiny beings floated in the air around Arianne. All of them shaped like different animals, butterfly, peacock, fox, turtle, bee, cat, and ladybug.

Everyone stared in wonder. The Quantic Gods, the Kwami. Here and more real than anything. They carried Arianne back over the lake, returning her to her group without a word. The mist around her faded, turning her body back to Nathalie’s. And then the Kwami floated about happy and free. Hawkmoth watched all this and stood shaking with anger. An audible growl was heard from him.

“Agreste!” he shouted, sounding for all the world like he would lunge with the sword and kill him. But instead this declaration was followed with another laugh. “You… Miracula is mine, and mine alone. But if I cannot have it-” he leapt into the air and landed behind everyone. They turned to face him as he pulled out a switch from his pocket, “Then no one will!” an antenna was raised, a button pushed, and before they could blink Hawkmoth was gone.

The walls around them began to shake and rumble. Then pieces of it started to fall. Debris began to rain down.

“The cavern’s collapsing!” Marinette called out, “What do we do?”

“Run!” Arianne yelled back.

They ran for the entrance back into the castle, but enough had fallen that the way through was blocked. It looked hopeless. But then a noise was heard.

“Excuse us,” said the red Kwami, “But we are gods, would you like us to help?”

“More than anything,” Marinette replied, “But all this history will be lost.”

“Better to lose a few ruins than lives,” the black cat Kwami chimed in, “Alright everyone! Stay close together while we work our magic.”

The seven huddled together very closely. The Kawmi floated into the air, making a circle wide enough to encompass them. Magic flowed from one being to another, creating a chain of white power. There was a flash and suddenly everyone was back above ground, a safe distance away to watch as Hawkmoth’s castle collapsed into nothing.

The black Kwami laughed, “Now that’s some quality destruction right there!”

“Oh Plagg,” the red one admonished, “It’s not funny! Someone could have gotten hurt!”

“Relax Tikki,” said the orange one, “It’ll be fine. That building was never meant to be there anyways. It looks like a beautiful mirage now, what once was there, but now is not. And the careless eye is fooled.”

“Arianne!” Gabriel cried out. The others looked to see that she had passed out, and was now lying on Gabriel’s coat as he tried to coax her back to consciousness. Her eyes fluttered, though what she had been thinking about while asleep was anyone’s guess. “Arianne?” Gabriel said again as she woke, cradling her in his arms.

“Pillon,” Arianne murmured as she slumped forward a little bit.

“Arianne,” Gabriel said, utter relief present on his face, “Don’t ever scare me like that again! I’ve missed you so much. Don’t ever leave again.”

“Gabe,” Arianne muttered, though he couldn’t hear her over his babbled plans. Talking about how they could return home, play the piano, do all the things they had never gotten the chance to.

“I’m sorry!” Arianne cut him off, looking so heartbroken, “My dearest Gabriel, I’ve brought you so much grief and sadness, haven’t I?”

“What? No!” Gabriel was quick to deny, “You were one of my greatest joys, and I couldn’t do anything to save you.”

“There was nothing you could do, even if you were the greatest in the world,” Arianne took his hand. As Gabriel searched for a response Arianne silenced him, “Listen to me, you have to start a new life. Without me,”

Gabriel shook his head and took her by the shoulders, “I don’t want a new life! I want you!”

Arianne stared at him a moment, then looked down and smiled, “I know, but I cannot… stay here.”

“Why not?”

“You know very well why,” Arianne answered, “But even if I’m gone, my dearest Gabriel, I shall live on in your memories.” she pulled him to his feet as they stood up. “Even if you can’t see me, I will still be there, watching over you and loving you no matter what.”

“Please don’t talk like that,” Gabriel shook his head, pulling Arianne into an embrace and holding her tightly.

“Dearest Gabriel, my papillon, don’t you remember? All those times you needed to leave for a show? What was it you always told Adrien and I?”

“No matter the distance, no matter how far I am; wherever I go, you will always be with me in my heart.” it was resigned, yet automatic, as if said so many times it was a reflex.

“Gabriel, Adrien,” Arianne looked to her son, “No matter how far I go, I shall always be in your hearts whenever you remember me. I will always be there.”

She squeezed her husband a final time, and let him go. Adrien stepped forward, and she did the same to him.

“My son, my beautiful boy Adrien,” her eyes welled with tears, “I can never thank Nathalie enough for allowing me to see you grow up. To see you find love, and I am so glad that all these years, you always remembered me, even when you thought I was gone. It is the greatest gift that I could have ever asked for.”

She drew back and looked at both of them, “I must go now my loves,” a single tear escaped her and trailed down her cheek like a glittering diamond, “Thank you,” she told them, “for loving me.”

They choked up as she drew further away. The Kwami floated around her.

“And what will you do with us?” Tikki asked, “The binding magic is too strong, we cannot ever be truly free, we will always be bound to the sigils.”

“Then I can think of no better place to keep them than with those who took so great care of you whilst you slept,” Arianne replied. Each piece of jewelry she returned to its last owner, until only the peacock brooch was left on her person.

“I have to go now,” she told everyone, turning and walking to the shoreline where they had ended up. She stared out at the sea, saying nothing.

MLB

Inside her mind, it was though she stood on the precipice of a cliff. And next to Arianne stood Nathalie. Sharing the same body meant sharing the same pose., and they watched the sunrise of the new day together.

“Nathalie,” Arianne began, “I’m sorry. I should never have borrowed your body for so long.”

“It was fine madam,” Nathalie replied quickly, “It still is, you can stay. Please don’t go.”

“I know it is,” Arianne told her, “It’s best for everyone this way. If I go now, if not I don’t know that I’ll still have the courage to. Thank you again, for treasuring the brooch I gave you. And please, take care of the Kwami it now comes with.”

“Mad- Arianne!” Nathalie felt her presence leaving and fought to keep it. The eight years of being away and yet not as Arianne controlled her body had changed her, the emotions she had never been capable of accessing now flooding forth, “They need you, don’t go!”

“No,” Arianne replied measuredly, even as another tear slipped out. She wiped it away and continued, “Nathalie, it is time you started living your own life again. And I know I leave my husband and my son in good hands.”

“I’m sorry?” Nathalie tried to sound confused, but it didn’t work.

“I know you love them,” Arianne said, “Love  _ him _ . Why else would you have agreed to it if you did not care for Gabriel’s happiness?”

“I- I-” Nathalie began to stumble for a reason.

“It’s okay to love them,” Arianne assured her, “I’m glad you do. They’ll need you more than ever now. Please, take care of them for me. And love them just as much as you have loved me these eight years.”

MLB

Arianne took control once more and turned back to the crowd, seeing her son and husband trying not to break down.

“Farewell my darlings,” she told them, hearing calls of her name and mom in response. Arianne turned her attention to Marinette and her friends, “Farewell Alya and Nino, the best in their fields I’m certain you’ll become. And,” she paused, “Farewell Marinette.”

“Arianne,” Marinette tried to say, but truly, what could be said now?

More tears fell down her cheeks even as Arianne smiled, “I’m so glad,” she said, “That all of you were my very last memory.”

She closed her eyes again and was back in that precipice with Nathalie. But Arianne turned once more toward the sunrise and with a sad smile on her face, she walked away. When eyes were once again open, it was Nathalie behind them.

“Arianne,” she whispered, heartbroken, “Ari-” she sighed and touched the lifeless brooch with such reverence. The peacock Kawmi floated near her head, tears trailing down its face as well, sensing its owner’s emotions.

She approached the group, torn between talking to everyone, or just the people she needed to.

“She’s-” Nathalie started only to choke up, “Arianne she’s-” again she couldn’t make the words come out as her hands clutched each other tightly, “Arianne has… left us, is there no other way to get her back?”

Marinette strode forth and placed a comforting hand on the woman’s shoulder. But nothing could be said in response to that. Arianne had left of her own free will, and there would be no returning from wherever she had gone.

“Now wait just a minute!” Nino said, wiping a tear away from his eyes, “Mrs. Agreste hasn’t gone anywhere!”

They all looked at him and Nino elaborated, “She’ll always be here, so long as we remember her. That’s what she said, isn’t it? So we can remember, and she’ll stay with us, alive in our hearts, forever.”

Marinette nodded, “Exactly.

Nathalie nodded as well, “Remember her, for now and for always.”

“Amen,” Adrien chimed in as he joined them.

“Amen,” Alya agreed.

“I’ll remember,” Chloe said, without a hint of disdain or sarcasm, “As well.” Marceline nodded in agreement.

“But now what?” Alya asked, “What do we tell the police? And how do we get off this island?”

“La Paon,” Gabriel said, sounding utterly dead inside, “the boat is still here. If we can reboard it, we can get back home.”

“And what about what you’ve done?” Alya turned on him, still not over the attempted memory copy that would have turned her into his newest wife.

“What is it that can be done?” Marinette stepped in, “It seems to me that all Mr. Agreste wanted was his wife back. Hawkmoth was behind everything else. Besides, what evidence do we have? We can’t let anyone else find out about the Kawmi, and there are no pictures, nothing except verbal evidence. None of the others even saw Hawkmoth. And as much as I hate to admit it, everyone here came to the theatre of their own free will. We’re all old enough to take responsibility for our own actions and-” she paused and looked at the broken shell of what had only yesterday been one of the most powerful men in Paris, if not the world, “I think he’s already begun to pay his dues.”

Nathalie followed her line of sight and stepped out of the circle. She strode over to him and helped him to his feet.

“Sir?” she asked. He said nothing, “Can I ask you something?” again there was no answer, “Will you play for us, just one last time?”

They noticed that the Concertona had been taken with them when the Kawmi let them out of the collapsing passage. Gabriel noticed it where it sat, nothing more than a glorified piano now. Gabriel approached it, set trembling hands over the keys. And began to play. Nathalie approached him, the vocal lessons Arianne had taken reverberating as her voice rose with strength and clarity.

“Hey Adrien,” Marinette nudged him, entwining her fingers with his as they watched the send off, “What are you thinking about?”

“I was wondering if my mother could have truly been the reincarnation of Miracula’s beloved queen.”

“I think she was,” Marinette replied, “After all, the legends stated that Miracula would only rise again with the return of their queen. And now it has.”

“Precisely!” Tikki chimed in happily while Plagg merely scoffed.

MLB

In a shop in the middle of the downtown area of Paris’ 26th district lay a most unusual shop. From all outward appearances it seemed nothing more than a simple storefront, easily missed if one walked right by. This shop, however, had a very specific clientele, and it was not at all unordinary to see uniformed police officers coming and going at nearly any hour. Now, if a third-party was to see this they might suspect multiple busts, or corrupted cops. Those theories, while interesting, were in all actuality; wrong. No, this was the residence and work space of Ladybug and Chat Noir; the heroes of the Paris Police force.

“So,” Marinette said as she finished a project and kissed her boyfriend and partner on the cheek, “How was your visit? Anything new?”

“Father and Nathalie have started dating,” Adrien replied, sparing a tap on the head for Tikki as he went to the fridge to fetch some Camembert for Plagg, who had been whining about it all day.

“And you’re not at all weirded or grossed out by it?” Marinette asked, “Or him, now that I think about it.”

“I think Nooroo and Duusuu are helping with the sorting of emotions. The Kawmi are actually very empathic. As for being weirded or grossed out, I admit, it’s a little weird to think of my father as loving anyone but mom. But that’s because he’s my father and she was my mother, neither of them really believed in divorce so a change like that is a bit jarring. But then, Nathalie did what she did for mine and my father’s sake, I don’t think she would have agreed if she didn’t care for us. Besides, she’s good at compartmentalising her emotions, which helps sort through my father just as well the others.” he tossed Plagg a wedge, “Have you spoken to Alya and Nino lately?”

“Yes, Trixx and Wayzz are doing well. And from their reports Pollen loves being around Chloe, over two centuries being out of fashion did not sit well with her apparently. They want to gether for a reunion in about a month or so.”

“Only a month?”

“Imagine being stuck in a piece of jewelry for as long as they have only to be reunited with your family for a brief moment before being separated again. The powers of all the gods at one’s disposal is too dangerous, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t lonely either.

“At least I have Plagg and Nooroo has Duusuu and Trixx has Wayzz,” Tikki chimed in as she nibbled on a cookie, “Pollen was always the odd one out. But that doesn’t mean she doesn’t miss us either.”

“Well, that’s one more adventure down, a lifetime more to go,” Adrien said as he flopped back onto the couch.

Marinette curled up beside him, running her fingers through his hair, “I can’t think of anyone else I’d rather face them with. Mon minou.”

“My lady.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did work very hard on this piece, leave me a comment and let me know what you think

**Author's Note:**

> Shall I go on? Or is the mystery too obvious already? Let me know!


End file.
